Claim:
A video authentically shows film director and actor Rob Reiner reacting with empathy and sincerity regarding the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Rating:
A rumor circulated online in December 2025 that a video showed the late film director and actor Rob Reiner reacting with empathy and sincerity earlier in the year following the shooting death of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
Some users shared the alleged clip alongside screenshots of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post (archived) from Dec. 15, in which he baselessly attributed Reiner’s death to “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” among other remarks.
(Donald Trump/Truth Social)
Users shared the video, or information or screenshots pertaining to the clip, on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), LinkedIn (archived), Threads (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived).
In short, the Reiner interview video was real — from an interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan — and was not altered with any artificial intelligence or video editing tools.
Reiner interview video and TPUSA repost
Following the deaths of Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, the staff of the “Piers Morgan Uncensored” YouTube show reposted the same authentic video on the show’s Instagram, TikTok and X accounts.
Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet reposted the clip on X (archived), saying, “Reiner responded with grace and compassion to Charlie’s assassination. This video makes it all the more painful to hear of he and his wife’s tragic end. May God be close to the broken hearted in this terrible story.”
The exchange between Morgan and Reiner, originally broadcast in a “Piers Morgan Uncensored” YouTube video (2:08-3:16) on Sept. 26, 2025, unfolded as follows:
MORGAN: When you first heard about the murder of Charlie Kirk, what was your immediate gut reaction to it?
REINER: Well, horror. Absolute horror. And I unfortunately saw the video of it, and it’s beyond belief what happened to him. And that should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems. And I felt like what his wife said at the service, at the memorial they had, was exactly right. And totally. I believe, you know, I’m Jewish, but I believe in the teachings of Jesus, and I believe in “do unto others,” and I believe in forgiveness. And what she said, to me, was beautiful and absolutely, you know, she forgave his assassin, and I think that that is admirable.
Kirk, 31, was killed by a single gunshot during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
Trump doubles down on Reiner post
Hours after his post baselessly attributing Reiner’s death to “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Trump doubled down while answering a question from a press pool member in the Oval Office. In his answer, he said he “wasn’t a fan” of the filmmaker’s work, and also called Reiner “deranged” and “very bad for our country.” (The Associated Press hosted video of the entire White House event, including the question and answer beginning at the 29:56 mark.)
Reiner, 78, and his wife, film producer Michele Reiner, 68, were killed on Dec. 14. The following day, Los Angeles police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers arrested 32-year-old Nick Reiner, one of the couple’s sons, on suspicion of murder.
Reiner is known for his directing of films including “Stand by Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Misery” and “A Few Good Men.” He was politically active and had spoken out against Trump and his two administrations.
For further reading, we previously reported about an authentic quote in which Kirk once said, “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that — it does a lot of damage.”
Sources
@atrupar. “Q: A Number of Republicans Have Denounced Your Statement…” X, 15 Dec. 2025, https://x.com/atrupar/status/2000669403927462012.
Brown, Bridget, et al. “Live Updates: Rob Reiner’s Son Nick ‘booked for Murder’ in Stabbings of Director-Actor and Wife.” The Associated Press, 15 Dec. 2025, https://apnews.com/live/rob-michele-reiner-dead-updates.
Liles, Jordan. “Trump Post Said Rob Reiner Died from ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.'” Snopes, 15 Dec. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rob-reiner-trump-post/.
Loe, Megan. “Charlie Kirk Is Dead after Shooting at Utah College Event.” Snopes, 10 Sept. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//news/2025/09/10/charlie-kirk-shooting-death/.
“‘LUDICROUS!’ Rob Reiner Says Kamala Harris LIED About Him In Book | Piers Morgan Interview.” YouTube, Piers Morgan Uncensored, 26 Sept. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU_2mDusl2s.
“Michele Reiner | Producer, Camera and Electrical Department, Actress.” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0802007/.
“Rob Reiner | Actor, Writer, Producer.” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001661/.
“Rob Reiner’s Son Nick Arrested on Murder Charges, LA Police Say.” YouTube, Reuters, 15 Dec. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur5Y-E2MFGo.
